Cambridge Blue by Alison Bruce, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Alison Bruce introduces Gary Goodhew, recently promoted to Detective Constable at the Cambridge Parkside Station, in Cambridge Blue. He's bright, clever, perceptive, spontaneous, and only 25 years old. And now he's been assigned his first murder investigation.

When Lorna Spence, accounts payable officer for the exclusive Excelsior Clinic, is found dead, her body dumped with the rubbish, Goodhew starts his investigation by following the rules set down by his superiors. But it soon becomes apparent that he is being lied to by everyone including those closest to Lorna: her boss and lover, Richard Moran; his sister, Alice; and her apparently only true friend, Victoria. Then Victoria is found murdered, her face smashed against the concrete. The only thing linking the two is a former classmate of Gary's. Next, news of a missing girl, who everyone denies knowing, comes into the picture. Is she a part of all this? Are these two deaths and the missing girl somehow inexplicably related? Closing his eyes to the rules, Goodhew intuitively sets out on his own to uncover the truth. In doing so, he finds himself in a situation where he thinks he has all the answers to the puzzling questions of this case, but they aren't the ones he — or anyone else — expected them to be.

Cambridge Blue is a promising start to this series. The plot, basically a police procedural, has the requisite twists and turns, false leads and blind alleys, but is able to maintain a steady, purposeful pace throughout. Gary Goodhew is an engaging character, someone who's so sure about himself and his abilities — and then again, maybe not. His grandmother is another delightful character, someone as interesting and as astute as Gary, but with years of life experience that surely equates to wisdom in many eyes. Together they bring a softness and sweetness to an otherwise hard, callous world.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Cambridge Blue.

The Siren
Soho Constable (Hardcover), October 2010
ISBN-13: 9781569476055; ISBN-10: 1569476055

Cambridge Blue

A Gary Goodhew Mystery by Alison Bruce